By Captain John Smouse

August 2011

Here a a couple of really nice Permit we caught this past week. Also a picture of Neil, a great customer and fisherman, showing off some of the beautiful waters we get to fish here in Key West.
The weather associated with Hurricane Irene is gone and we are getting back to our calm Southeast winds. Couple that with the low tides we will have this week I am expecting the Bonefishing and Shark Fishing to be great. September is one of the best months to pursue the Grey Ghost.

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By Captain John Smouse

Tarpon are still on the menu!!! (and Permit too)

They just won’t leave. The Tarpon fishing in mid-July usually cosists of targeting the baby fish in the mangroves. While they are a blast, everyone likes the Big Dawgs. And they are still here. Above are a few pics of some of the fish from this past week.

The Permit fishing has been great on the incoming tides. The very light winds have created awesome tailing conditions.

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By Captain John Smouse

July is Hot (I mean fishing)

The Tarpon fishing has been great in and around the Key West Harbor. We have been catching BIG fish on both tides. These fish are usually making their push out of here by mid/late June, but I am not complaining. I hope they stick around for a little while longer. The Permit fishing is is great as well. They love the warm calm water that the summer months bring to Key West. It has been creating some great tailing conditions!!!!

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By Captain John Smouse

Family Fishing

Dan Corullo (aka: The Trail Boss) brought his family of 12 down for the second year in a row to fish with the ShadowCaster. We had Lady Luck on our side this year. Over four days of fishing we managed to boat multiple Big Tarpon, Lemon Sharks, Barracudas and Permit. We threw in a few Groupers along the way. Bryce (Dan’s 10 yr old grandson) hooked, fought and landed (with a little help from his dad) the biggest Tarpon of the season. A big fish that went in the neighborhood of 180lbs!!!!
Another week of great fishing in the beautiful waters of Key Wes

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By Captain John Smouse

Sometimes Pictures aren’t Needed

My son wanted to experience the thrill of catching a barracuda. He hooked fifteen, and landed twelve, in a six-hour flats trip with John.
I have been coming to Key West for eight years and have fished with five different flats guides – none could match John in fish catching. John is excellent with the experienced angler, and extraordinary with the novice. He’s always “ready to go” when you get there, and you spend your time fishing, not getting supplies, setting up rods, finding bait or driving around the water. His gear is in excellent shape, and he has plenty of what you need on board.
I caught one tarpon in my first seven years of fishing here. In seven hours of tarpon fishing with John, I caught six (would have been one per hour, but I lost the seventh fish). Fish with whomever you like; I’ll fish with John.
Al Schultz
Buffalo, New York

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By Captain John Smouse

The Weather is Great and the Fishing is even Better

Here are some of the Fish we have been catching over the last week. The Tarponfishing in the channels around Key West has been fantastic in the early mornings. Once the sun comes up we have been targeting Permit and Barracudas on the flats under the BlueBird skies. I haven’t been seeing a lot of Bonefish yet, but with this warm weather they should be showing up over the next couple weeks.
April and May are filling up fast so give me a call at 305.587.7669 to take advantage of the great Spring fishing!!!

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By Captain John Smouse

Spring is looking Great

The last half of February was a flats fisherman’s dream. We had warm water, light wind and clear skies for two weeks. After last February’s brutal cold fronts it was much needed. The weather brought all the fish to Key West that we love catching. I have been landing Tarpon every morning, often getting multiples. The fish are here and if we can keep this warm weather pattern it is going to be a great Springtime Tarpon bite.
The big Barracuda fishing has been over the top. They have been everywhere!!! Now, not all of them are going to be enticed by you tube lure, but with so many around and some hard fishing you will find some hungry ones. I had Al and Eric Shultz out last week and we lost count around 15 cudas boat side. Eric is pictured above with one of his many. Even the young anglers got in on the action. Jamison and Brett had a blast assisting in these two monsters!!
Permit fishing also reaches one of its peak times of year in March. These wary fish are going to be feeding on the flats this month fattening up for their annual spawn in April.

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By Captain John Smouse

Still Warmer in Key West

Over this last weekend we had a pretty strong cold front make its way through the Florida Keys. The wind was howling and the temperatures dropped to the sixties. But I am happy to report that we are back to the upper 70’s and the next cold front isn’t coming for a few weeks.
Before this last front we had a couple fantastic days Tarpon fishing. Great sign to see them here already and now just a couple days of warm weather and they should turn on again. There have been some really big cudas on the flats as the sun warms up the water. The big sharks are also making their presence known as this poor cuda found out the hard way. This cuda was attacked by two big Lemons just feet from the boat in two feet of water. Quite a sight to see.
So we are looking forward to some great conditions for the next few weeks. Give Capt John a call at 305 587 7669.

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By Captain John Smouse

Happy New Year!!!!

2011 is here and the fishing in Key West is gearing up!!! After a bitterly cold December, the weather is finally getting back to what it should be in Key West. The water temps were way down and the fishing somewhat suffered the last month of 2010. But that was last year. The water is getting back to the 70 degree mark and fishing is on the rise. We have been targeting the wintertime fish (Reds, Jacks, Snook, Ladyfish, & SeaTrout). The latest couple trips out I will bet we caught around 50 fish, on 1/2 days. That is some great action on light tackle. The above fish (Reds & Snook) are not all that common to the Lower Keys, but they have been making a showing the last couple years. There are several theories as to why they are in these waters, but for whatever reason, I am just glad they are here. So for some great light tackle, rod-bending action give me a call @ (305) 587 7669. Looking forward to another great year fishing the most beautiful waters in the world!!!

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